Scarlett Johansson to Play Janet Leigh in Behind-the-Scenes Psycho Movie

After three disappointing sequels (all of which remarkably starred Anthony Perkins) and one entirely unnecessary remake starring Vince Vaughn, Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho has once again inspired a feature tribute. Only this time, the Psycho offshoot will examine the horror classic from a behind-the-scenes perspective. And with two revered Oscar winners cast in starring roles, and now Scarlett Johansson—whose work in We Bought a Zoo we’ve almost completely erased from memory—attached, it sounds promising!

Following four long years in development, the aptly titled Alfred Hitchcock and the Making of Psycho is now in the hands of director Sacha Gervasi (Anvil! The Story of Anvil). The drama, based on Stephen Rebello’s nonfiction book of the same name, will star Anthony Hopkins as Hitchcock; Helen Mirren as Hitchcock’s wife, Alma Reville; and Scarlett Johansson as Janet Leigh, the nubile blonde who meets a particularly knife-y fate while showering at the Bates Motel.

In other Alfred Hitchcock and the Making of Psycho casting news, James D’Arcy has been selected to play Anthony Perkins, which is a significant improvement over Vince Vaughn–as–Anthony Perkins and even Psycho IV: The Beginning–era Anthony Perkins–as–Anthony Perkins.

No word yet on whether Johansson will replicate the shower sequence, which famously required an entire week of filming and more than 50 separate shots. But considering that it remains Psycho’s most famous scene and the source of so many production legends—including rumors that Hitchcock did not direct it himself and that a body double subbed for Leigh—it seems likely.